System and method for detecting corrosion
AssigneesForce Technology, Aarhus Universitet
InventorsJaamac Hassan HIRE, Farshad MORADI
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Abstract
System and a method for detecting corrosion or cracks in a metal structure embedded in concrete. Piezoelectric transducers are arranged for contact with the metal structure embedded in the concrete: an electronic circuit generate an electric test signal for the piezoelectric transducers and receives an electric return signal from the piezoelectric transducers. The electronic circuit comprises an analysis circuit for analysing the electric return signal and for storing the result of the analysis until the results can be communicated to an external device.
Claims18
A system for detecting corrosion or cracks in a metal structure embedded in concrete, the system comprising:
- at least one piezoelectric transducer arranged for contact with the metal structure,
- an electronic circuit arranged for electric connection to the at least one piezoelectric transducer, the electronic circuit comprising
- a signal generator arranged to generate an electric test signal (Vp) to the at least one piezoelectric transducer,
- an analysis circuit arranged to receive an electric return signal (IDUT) from the at least one piezoelectric transducer in response to the electric test signal (Vp), and to electrically transform said electric return signal from the piezoelectric transducer by means of a dual-phase lock-in amplifier circuit into a resulting electromechanical impedance representation or voltage representation of the metal structure, and
- an interface arranged to communicate said electromechanical impedance representation or voltage representation to an external device.
The system according to claim 16, wherein the analysis circuit is arranged to forward the in-phase output value (Vout1) and the out-of-phase output value (Vout2) to the interface.
A method for detecting corrosion or cracks in a metal structure embedded in concrete, the method comprising:
- with a system that comprises (i) at least one piezoelectric transducer arranged for contact with the metal structure, and (ii)
- an electronic circuit arranged for electric connection to the at least one piezoelectric transducer, the electronic circuit comprising a signal generator, an analysis circuit, and an interface arranged to communicate to an external device,
- generating an electric test signal (Vp) to the at least one piezoelectric transducer, the electric test signal (Vp) is generated by the signal generator,
- receiving an electric return signal (IDUT) from the at least one piezoelectric transducer in response to the electric test signal (Vp), the electric return signal (IDUT) is received by the analysis circuit,
- electrically transforming by the analysis circuit said electric return signal from the piezoelectric transducer by means of a dual-phase lock-in amplifier circuit into a resulting electromechanical impedance representation of the metal structure, and
- communicating by an interface said electromechanical impedance representation or voltage representation to the external device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.